The Charlotte Hornets (5-7) close out their five-game West Coast road trip with an 8 p.m. ET tip-off against the Memphis Grizzlies (6-4) at the FedExForum. Below, we look at the Hornets vs. Grizzlies odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions, and bets.
Charlotte has lost five in a row including all four of its previous games on this Western road swing. The Hornets is 5-7 ATS and 9-3 O/U with the 22nd-ranked net rating (-3.6).
Memphis has won three of its past four games with the latest being a 125-118 overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves as 4.5-point home favorites. The Grizzlies is 7-3 ATS and 5-5 O/U with the 24th-ranked net rating (-4.2).
The Grizzlies have won all four games they’ve played the Hornets since drafting guard Ja Morant in 2019 (4-0 ATS).
Hornets at Grizzlies odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:15 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Hornets +160 (bet $100 to win $160) | Grizzlies -200 (bet $200 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Hornets +4.5 (-107) | Grizzlies -4.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 228.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Hornets at Grizzlies key injuries
Hornets
- PF P.J. Washington (elbow) out
Grizzlies
- SG Dillon Brooks (hand) questionable
- SF Ziaire Williams (wrist) questionable
Hornets at Grizzlies odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Grizzlies 120, Hornets 113
Money line
PASS since I like Memphis in this spot but the Grizzlies (-200) is way out of my price range for an NBA regular-season favorite.
Memphis has handled Charlotte in their last four meetings with relative ease and the Hornets have gotten smoked on their West Coast trip.
Against the spread
GIMME the GRIZZLIES -4.5 (-115) for 1 unit because there’s been a “sharp line move” towards Memphis despite the bet splits being pretty even. The Grizzlies are getting much more money bet on them though and Memphis has gone from a 4-point opening favorite to the current number.
Also, the Grizzlies owned the Hornets on the glass in each of their past four meetings and that should happen again. Memphis acquired big Steven Adams this past offseason and Adams typically dominates the paint vs. opposing bigs.
Furthermore, Charlotte plays weak defense against what Memphis does frequently. For instance, the Grizzlies attempt the most shots within five feet of the basket and the third-highest rate of short mid-range shots (according to CleaningTheGlass.com).
But, the Hornets have the third-worst defensive field goal percentage vs. shot attempts within five feet of the basket and the fourth-worst defensive efficiency vs. shot mid-range field goal attempts (CleaningTheGlass.com).
Over/Under
Slight “LEAN” to the OVER 228.5 (-110) for a tiny wager if at all because I much prefer Memphis laying the points than the total in this matchup.
However, both teams play at a fast tempo and both teams are in the bottom-3 of defensive rating. Plus we’ve already discussed how Memphis can attack Charlotte’s defense but the Hornets have reasons to be confident they’ll have success on offense as well.
For instance, Charlotte gets out in transition at the second-highest frequency in the Association and Memphis gives up the fifth-most points per possession in transition. On top of that, both squads score the third-most paint points per game (50.0 PPG) and rank 20th or worse in paint points per game allowed.
That said, we are getting to the party late as the Hornets-Grizzlies total opened at 226.5 and has been steamed up by all the pro-Over money. My favorite play is the Grizzlies -4.5 (-110), but there’s a little value in the OVER 228.5 (-110).
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